Explanations & Confrontations
by SorrowfulAyame
Summary: Piccolo tells Bulma how & why Vegeta died while Goku has a one on one chat with Videl about her feelings about Gohan.


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Before I begin, I'd like to explain a little about the story you're about to read. I was thinking to myself, after watching the episodes in the Buu Saga, where Vegeta becomes evil and then gives his life in the fight against Buu for the sake of his loved ones.  
  
Vegeta was basically disgusted with himself for settling down and having a family. Because as any loyal Vegeta fan would know, he believes that emotions are a weakness and it is beneath him, the Prince of all Saiyans, to care for any one other than himself.  
  
So, he allows himself to be possessed by Babidi and his magic, but as we also know, no one (other than Bulma of course) can control the Saiyan Prince. But only Vegeta knows that. Anyway, he allows Babidi to reawaken the evil that has lied dormant in his heart for so long.  
  
At first, it appears that the Evil Dark Prince has truly returned, as he kills innocent people as the tournament to *persuade* Goku to fight him. (Bad Vegeta!) Anyhow, Goku is forced to agree, and the two face off, Vegeta determined to settle the score between the last two survivors of the Saiyan race.  
  
But, as we also know, Goku doesn't believe that Vegeta has stopped caring for his family, just like that, and challenges Vegeta, openingly telling the Saiyan Prince that he doesn't believe him. And when Buu arrives, it seems that Goku's words have struck a cord of truth deep within Vegeta.  
  
However, Vegeta uses the opportunity to knock Goku unconscious, and takes off to fight Buu himself, determined to defeat the monster on his own. But Buu is just too powerful, and nothing Vegeta does affects the monster. And it looks like all hope is lost for the prince.  
  
And when Vegeta is getting beaten terribly by Buu, Trunks can't take it anymore, and he and Goten rush to his aide, with Trunks kicking Buu several feet away from Vegeta and the boys buy Vegeta some time to come up with the meek remnants of a plan.  
  
When he tells Trunks to take Goten as far away as possible, the boys refuse, forcing Vegeta to do the only thing he can think of to save their lives: he knocks them unconscious, and orders Piccolo to take them to safety. Piccolo agrees, and after a brief conversation with Vegeta, he flies away with a boy tucked under each arm.  
  
Vegeta sacrifices himself, hoping to destroy Buu in the process. He does it for Bulma and Trunks, as he actually admits it to himself, and even for Goku, though it was all in vain.  
  
Now, my story is a thought I've had for a while. Piccolo decides to tell Bulma about Vegeta's sacrifice, to make her feel a little better about her loss. Also, Goku confronts Videl about her feelings for Gohan. I hope you like it. I don't own the characters of DBZ, though I do have my very own Mirai Trunks clone! Anyway, on with the story.  
  
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Explanations & Confrontations  
  
Bulma sighed as she closed the door on the sleeping Trunks and Goten. She didn't know why she'd gone in there in the first place; she knew the boys were fine, she just felt she had to.  
  
She walked down the corridor, determined not to let her mind focus on the one person she didn't want to think about at that moment. Her husband, her prince, her Vegeta.  
  
"Bastard." Bulma said to herself. She wished she could curse him into the deepest depths of hell for all he had done. It wasn't that he had killed all those people at the tournament; they had been wished back, and he hadn't been himself. It was that he had died, leaving her alone. It was that he had let it happen, because he had hated the fact that he had settled down and had a family; a family with her.  
  
"Damn him! Damn him to hell! Bastard!" Bulma cried, as angry tears began to fall from her eyes. Piccolo hesitated, wondering if he should turn around before she noticed he was there. But decided against it.  
  
"Bulma?" Piccolo asked. Bulma looked up startled as she realized that she wasn't alone.  
  
"Piccolo? What is it? What's wrong?" Bulma asked as Piccolo shook his head.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. Maybe I should rephrase that. There's something I need to tell you." Piccolo said as Bulma looked at him curiously.  
  
"What about?" Bulma asked, wiping a tear from her eye, trying to calm herself down.  
  
"Vegeta." Piccolo said bluntly as Bulma whipped her head up, looking him in the eye.  
  
"There's something you should know." Piccolo said. Bulma frowned as she shook her head.  
  
"Don't bother. I already know about what happened to him, I made Goku tell me. He let himself be controlled, all because of me and Trunks. Son of a bitch! And I cared about him! I was worried about him!" Bulma spit. Piccolo shook his head.  
  
"That's true, and I'm sorry about that. But that's not what I came to talk to you about. I'm talking about.how he died." Piccolo said. Bulma glared at the tall green man.  
  
"I really don't give a damn anymore, Piccolo! He probably died trying to prove what a big shot he is! Trying to fight someone who was way out of his league! He's always been like that, you know that! The damn bastard!" Bulma said.  
  
"It's true that he died trying to destroy Majin Buu, but.he did it for you and Trunks." Piccolo said calmly. Bulma looked at him skeptically.  
  
"What are you talking about? Vegeta doesn't care about anyone but himself. What makes you think he'd risk his own life for someone else, let alone me or Trunks?" Bulma asked.  
  
"It's true. Vegeta was the one who knocked the boys unconscious. He did it so they couldn't get themselves killed, and then demanded that I fly them to safety. He sacrificed himself in the hope that the planet would be safe from Majin Buu.that you and Trunks would be safe." Piccolo said softly.  
  
Bulma didn't say a word as the tears began to stream down her face. She sank to the floor, lost in her own thoughts. After a moment, Piccolo turned to leave.  
  
"Piccolo?" Bulma suddenly asked. Piccolo didn't turn around, but stopped.  
  
"Yeah?" Piccolo asked over his shoulder.  
  
"Thank you. But why? Why tell me this? You hated Vegeta, always have." Bulma said.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I owed him. Besides, it was the right thing to do. You deserved to know what happened to him, and why. Now you do." Piccolo said. Bulma nodded.  
  
"Thank you. And.I'm sorry about Gohan. We all are. I know he was like a son to you." Bulma said. Piccolo nodded, and then continued on his way down the corridor. He needed to speak with Goku, to learn more about this 'fusion' technique they were supposed to teach the boys when they awoke.  
  
  
  
Videl sighed as she looked up at the clouds drifting lazily above the Lookout. Gohan was still alive, she just knew it. So why couldn't the rest of them see it too?  
  
"Videl?" Goku asked, walking up to the girl. She looked at him and smiled.  
  
"You still believe he's alive, don't you?" Goku asked as Videl nodded.  
  
"I know he is. I just don't understand how you all can give up on him, just like that." Videl said. Goku sighed as he looked up at the clouds.  
  
"We've just had a lot of practice dealing with these things. I guess after a while, you learn to accept the good with the bad. Besides, we can wish him back with the dragonballs just as soon as we defeat Buu, once and for all. You'll see." Goku said, looking back over at Videl.  
  
"I'm sorry, Goku, but I just know, deep in my heart, that he's still out there somewhere, alive. He'll come back, I know he will." Videl said confidently as Goku smiled at her.  
  
"He means a lot to you, doesn't he? I'm glad my son had such a nice girlfriend. And I'm sorry about Chichi." Goku said with a sympathetic smile.  
  
"What about her?" Videl asked in confusion.  
  
"Well, she's pretty intent on getting you and Gohan married. I'd try and stop her, and tell her to leave you two alone, but, well..I'm not that crazy! Do you have any *idea* what she would do if I got in the way of her having grandchildren?! She wouldn't feed me for a month, maybe a year!" Goku said in a panicked tone as Videl laughed at the older man.  
  
"Can I ask you something Goku? Why is Gohan so powerful? What's so special about him?" Videl asked. Goku smiled at the dark haired girl.  
  
"Well, for starters, he's half Saiyan, so that explains where he gets his power from." Goku said as Videl looked at him even more confused.  
  
"There's that word again. What does it mean? What's a Saiyan? And what does it have to do with Gohan?" Videl asked.  
  
"Well I don't know if I feel comfortable telling you this Videl; Gohan should be the one to tell you. But since he's not here, I guess it leaves me no other choice. You have a right to know." Goku said.  
  
"You see, the Saiyans were a warrior race from a planet very far away from the Earth. They were very powerful, and extremely dangerous. They loved to fight, and grew stronger after each one. They worked for this tyrant named Frieza, but when the Saiyan race began to grow too strong, he destroyed the planet. Only four Saiyans were not on the planet when it was blown up, so they survived." Goku said.  
  
"And.you're one of them..aren't you?" Videl asked curiously as Goku nodded.  
  
"Yes, and Vegeta too. But he and I are the only pure-blooded Saiyans left that are still alive. But my older brother Radittz, and Vegeta's right hand man, Nappa, also escaped the planet's explosion. I was sent to Earth as a child, and the three of them were taken in by Frieza, since he still wanted to have powerful fighters working for him, but he knew he could also keep a better eye on three Saiyans rather than three hundred." Goku said.  
  
"To make a long story short, Radditz came to Earth for me almost thirteen years ago. I helped Piccolo defeat Radditz when he kidnapped Gohan, and Vegeta killed Nappa a year later when he failed to defeat me in battle. And after a long battle, I finally defeated Vegeta, and he's wanted to settle the score ever since." Goku said.  
  
"Is that why he.?" Videl began as Goku nodded his head sadly.  
  
"I'm afraid so. But over time, as you know, he settled down and had a family. I've known Bulma since I was five years old, and they're perfect for each other, though I know Vegeta would never admit it." Goku said with a laugh.  
  
"Gohan always had a hidden power that was buried deep within him. We've seen glimpses of that power, over the years, but it wasn't until he fought Cell that he fully unleashed his hidden power." Goku said as Videl nodded her head.  
  
"I know. He was the one who defeated Cell, and not my father after all." Videl said. Goku looked at her confused.  
  
"Gohan told you that?" Goku asked. Videl shook her head.  
  
"Not really. I sort of figured it out on my own, and Gohan confirmed it. I knew my father wasn't that strong. He let it all go to his head!" Videl said with a frown.  
  
"I'm glad you told me all this Goku, I appreciate it. I was just so surprised when he turned into the Gold Fighter, and things began to make sense. I just wanted to know where he got his power from." Videl said.  
  
"Gold Fighter?" Goku asked confused. Videl nodded as she smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, you know, when his hair turned gold?" Videl asked as Goku smiled at her.  
  
"Ooooh, I see know. You mean a Super Saiyan." Goku said.  
  
"A Super Saiyan?" Videl asked confused.  
  
"Yeah. It's something we Saiyans can do. It makes us faster and more powerful." Goku explained.  
  
"We? You mean he's not the only one who can do it?" Videl asked. Goku smiled as he shook his head.  
  
"No, of course not! I was the first one to do it, what, eleven years ago? Has it been that long? Anyway, Vegeta was able to about four years after me, then Gohan when we were training to defeat Cell. But Trunks and Goten can do it too, I understand. And at *their* ages too! I'm still in a state of disbelief!" Goku said as Videl nodded at him.  
  
"Well, thank you for telling me Goku. I understand a little better now. I can't wait to see him, so he can tell me more. I wanna know as much a possible about him." Videl said.  
  
"You really like him, don't you?" Goku asked with a knowing smile.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I do." Videl said, her face pink. Goku grinned as he walked off, in the direction of the main rooms of the Lookout. Maybe he could get Mr. Popo to bring them all some food.  
  
Videl smiled as she watched Gohan's father walk away. She had so much to ask Gohan when he returned, she couldn't wait!  
  
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End file.
